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The Gorillaz are an Virtual band created be Damon Albarn, the ex-lead singer of Blur, with his friend James Hewlett. Created out of their shared frustration with the shallow celebrity culture forming around the time. (KaptainKristian, 2016, 0:32). They decided that if music was a manufactured product then they would take it to it's limits, creating a set of 'fake' celebrities as parodies the industry that the loathed.

"they brought themselves into a position which allows them to produce ‘sincere’ popular music which ‘playfully’ stages the absurdities of major label music business" (Eckstein, 2009, par. 1).

Gorillaz exist within all genres and outside all creative limitation, and for that, they have claimed the hearts of many who don't feel as though they fit into any genre either.

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George Virden Watsky, the friendliest rapper that nobody has heard of. Debuting in 'Pale Kid Raps Fast' (Mitchell, 2013, Page. 32, Scouting Report), Watsky has gone under the radar for many listeners as a result of the taboo surrounding white rappers in hip-hop. Watsky addresses this issue in his song Color Lines (Watsky, 2009, Track 12). Watsky has shown that a love of art and the will to be true to yourself is more important than any vanity or success that can be found by conforming to create what the masses want. This best highlighted in his song G.O.A.T (Watsky, 2009, Track 5) in which he mocks a stale and formulaic hip hop culture.

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Blur was a greatly successful brit pop band of the 90's, formed in 1988 but growing to fame in 1994 with their album Parklife. Damon Albarn of Gorillaz was the lead singer and front man of Blur. Blur is often regarded as a defining name of Brit Pop, however, this success was not a source of joy for Albarn. Damon Albarn has demonstrated a distaste for creative restrictions and being the lead for a genre defining band was extremely restricting. This was shown in the first Gorillaz album with songs such as "Tomorrow comes Today"(Gorillaz, 2001, Tomorrow comes today) and "Dirty Harry"(Gorillaz, 2005, Dirty Harry) sampling song's from Blur's cutting room floor as Damon salvages songs deemed too experimental.(Gorillaz Wiki, 2018)

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Daft Punk had a difficult start to their career, with albums 'Homework' and 'Human After All' getting mediocre reviews with later revisions increasing the initial scores. The individuals wearing the masks, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, have shown a desire to remain unseen or separated from Daft Punk.

"We want the focus to be on the music. If we have to create an image, it must be an artificial image. That combination hides our physicality and also shows our view of the star system. It is not a compromise. We’re trying to separate the private side and the public side" -Bangalter (Whatley, 2021, par. 7)

While Daft Punk and Gorillaz gained popularity around the same time, the early 2000's, Daft Punk was around long before Gorillaz and likely inspired the detachment of artist from art.

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The Specials is a ska band from the late 1970's known for their experimentation and creativity. Damon Albarn has stated “I really loved Terry Hall and the idea of a band that was half black and half white and produced this music which was equally music hall and reggae. I’d love to be in a band like that.”(Coffman, 2024, par. 6). This shows that even during Albarn's days with Blur, he had been fascinated with the idea of blending cultures and genres. This spectrum of genre is taken even further by Gorillaz, writing anything from punk to opera, from reggae to rap.

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Eminem, Marshal Mathers, a divisive and controversial rapper from Detroit known for his fast and masterfully crafted lyrics. Due to his difficult upbringing, he turned to poetry and freestyle as an outlet. On release of his album The Slim Shady LP, Marshall's skills were quickly recognised and praised, with Dr Dre as his producer, his credibility had a huge boost and his debut was taken very seriously as a result (Morisey, 2023, par. 40). His rhythm and lyricism paired with his unapologetically honest reflections on his experiences have put him in the spotlight, making him an inspiration to many young artists who may have otherwise stayed on the side lines of rap.

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Watsky has repeatedly stated that Beau Sia is the greatest reason for his own entry into poetry. Beau Sia's poetry is best described as satirical, self aware and existential.

"your voice is the yes

at every turn in your life.

your voice battles the no

in every corner of the world."

- Beau Sia, (Sia, 2014, Line. 3-4)

His palpable joie de vivre, clever wordplay and comedic approach separated him from his peers, making way for his quick rise to success. His success highlighted when Sia was awarded a Tony Award for his part in the 2003 Def Poetry Jam (Poetry Foundation, 2024, par. 1). It is very easy to so why Watsky would look up to such a creative and acclaimed man as Beau.

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“My stuff isn’t limited to Black people. White people listen to my music. They get that, and I hope that Black people get it too.” - Williams (J. Moore, 2023, par. 14)

Saul Williams is an often overlooked poet and musician, best know for his collaborations with other artists. He openly critiques topics such as the war on terrorism (Williams, 2003, Not in our name). Watsky has stated he is inspired by many different poets, Saul Williams being one of them. Saul Williams' poetry discusses the past, present and future of America with a focus on the initial and ongoing struggles of the indigenous people. His music has shown intelligent and carefully chosen words can be more impactful than any rhythm but also that those words can be elevated by that same rhythm.

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Coffman, T. (2024, February 11). Damon Albarn on his admiration for The Specials. Far out Magazine. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/damon-albarn-admiration-the-specials/

Diaz, Z. (2018). The Musical Artistry of Rap. By Martin E. Connor. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2018. 219 pp. ISBN 978-0-7864-9898-7. Popular Music, 37(3), 516–517. https://doi.org/10.1017/s026114301800034x

Eckstein, L. (2009). Torpedoing the authorship of popular music: a reading of Gorillaz’ “Feel Good Inc.” Popular Music, 28(2), 239–255. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261143009001809

Gorillaz. (2001). Tomorrow comes today. Parlophone. https://open.spotify.com/track/3qdDjz9kOvquEFbvXBYOMQ?si=fd44ffb4c5444f53

Gorillaz. (2005). Dirty Harry. De Wolfe Music Publishing Ltd. https://open.spotify.com/track/2bfGNzdiRa1jXZRdfssSzR?si=f96cfab196f245c7

Gorillaz Wiki. (2018). Blur. Gorillaz Wiki. https://gorillaz.fandom.com/wiki/Blur

Gos, J. (2018). The Story of Eminem - Full Documentary. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEfIiGiPJ6I&t=153s

KaptainKristian. (2016, June). Gorillaz - Deconstructing Genre. Www.youtube.com; YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws82rXrjBOI&pp=ygUUZ29yaWxsYXogdmlkZW8gZXNzYXk%3D

Mitchell, G. (2013). SCOUTING REPORT. Billboard, 125(32). https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/scouting-report/docview/1367937154/se-2?accountid=145504

Morisey, D. (2023, May 31). How Dr. Dre Discovered Eminem: A Brief History. Medium. https://medium.com/@HowToRap/how-dr-dre-discovered-eminem-a-brief-history-6546eb4b1a4e#:~:text=Dre%20and%20Eminem%20At%20The

Poetry Foundation. (2024). Beau Sia. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/beau-sia#:~:text=He%20has%20appeared%20in%20films

Sia, B. (2014). Courage Rising. In www.beausia.com. http://www.beausia.com/category/poems/

Volksgeist. (2021). The LEGACY of Daft Punk. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apk3dA5A1Dw

Watsky, G. (2009). Watsky [Album]. On Watsky. Steel Wool Records. https://open.spotify.com/track/09zvasDSlqfEONE4tkcVZ8?si=aad723f02c604ada

Watsky-Pale kid raps fast. (2012). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNZA_vfyDzA

Whatley, J. (2021, February 22). The reason why Daft Punk wore helmets. Far out Magazine. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/why-daft-punk-wore-helmets-reason/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWe%20want%20the%20focus%20to